---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 4061"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "4061"
heading: "Defense Research and Development Rapid Innovation Program"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/4061"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part V — Acquisition"
  - "Subpart E — Research and Engineering"
  - "Chapter 303 — Research and Engineering Activities"
  - "Subchapter I — General"
---

# §4061. Defense Research and Development Rapid Innovation Program

- (a) **Program Established.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall establish a competitive, merit-based [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) to enable and assist small businesses to accelerate the commercialization of various technologies, including critical technologies developed pursuant to phase II Small Business Innovation Research [Program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) projects, phase II Small Business Technology Transfer [Program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) projects, technologies developed by the [defense laboratories](/usc/10/2199.md?p=1), capabilities developed through competitively awarded prototype agreements and other innovative technologies (including dual use technologies).
  - (2) The purpose of this [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) is to stimulate innovative technologies and reduce acquisition or lifecycle costs, address technical risks, improve the timeliness and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes, support the integration of such products, and rapidly insert such products directly in support of primarily [major defense acquisition programs](/usc/10/4201.md?p=a), but also other defense acquisition [programs](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) that meet critical [national security](/usc/10/801.md?p=16) needs.
- (b) **Guidelines.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) shall issue guidelines for the operation of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1). At a minimum such guidance shall provide for the following:
  - (1) The issuance of one or more broad [agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) announcements or the use of any other competitive or merit-based processes by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense for candidate proposals in support of primarily [major defense acquisition programs](/usc/10/4201.md?p=a), but also other defense acquisition [programs](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) as described in [subsection (a)](#a).
  - (2) The review of candidate proposals by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense and by each Office of Small Business [Programs](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) of each [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) and the merit-based selection of the most promising [cost-effective](/usc/10/3101.md?p=3) proposals for funding through contracts, cooperative agreements, and other transactions for the purposes of carrying out the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1).
  - (3) The total amount of funding provided to any project under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) from funding provided under [subsection (d)](#d) shall not exceed $6,000,000.
  - (4) No project shall receive more than a total of two years of funding under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) from funding provided under [subsection (d)](#d), unless the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3), or the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3)’s designee, approves funding for any additional year.
  - (5) Mechanisms to facilitate transition of follow-on or current projects carried out under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) into defense acquisition [programs](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1), through the use of the authorities of [section 4004 of this title](/usc/10/4004.md) or such other authorities as may be appropriate to conduct further testing, low [rate](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-9) production, or full [rate](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-9) production of technologies developed under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1).
  - (6) Projects are selected using merit-based selection procedures and the selection of projects is not subject to undue influence by Congress or other Federal [agencies](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3).
  - (7) A preference under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) for funding small business concerns.
- (c) **Treatment Pursuant to Certain Congressional Rules.—** Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to require or enable any official of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense to provide funding under this section to any earmark as defined pursuant to House Rule XXI, clause 9, or any congressionally directed spending item as defined pursuant to Senate Rule XLIV, paragraph 5.
- (d) **Funding.—**
  - (1) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose and to the limitation under [paragraph (2)](#d-2), the amounts authorized to be appropriated for research, development, test, and evaluation for a fiscal year may be used for such fiscal year for the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under [subsection (a)](#a).
  - (2) During any fiscal year, the total amount of awards in an amount greater than $6,000,000 made under the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under [subsection (a)](#a) may not exceed 25 percent of the amount made available to carry out such [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) during such fiscal year.
- (e) **Transfer Authority.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) may transfer funds available for the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) to the research, development, test, and evaluation accounts of a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6), [defense agency](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-11), or the unified combatant command for special operations forces pursuant to a proposal, or any part of a proposal, that the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) determines would directly support the purposes of the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1).
  - (2) The transfer authority provided in this subsection is in addition to any other transfer authority available to the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, § 224(a)(1), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1683, § 2359a; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, § 878(a), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1530; renumbered § 4061 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§ 1842(b), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(d)(8), (q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2136, 2148, 2152; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VIII, § 860, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 346.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 4061 was renumbered section 7381 of this title.

### Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, § 860(1)(A), inserted “to enable and assist small businesses” after “merit-based program” and “capabilities developed through competitively awarded prototype agreements” after “defense laboratories,” and substituted “commercialization of various technologies, including critical technologies” for “fielding of technologies”.

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, § 860(1)(B), inserted “support the integration of such products,” after “evaluation outcomes,”.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 118–31, § 860(2)(A), inserted “primarily major defense acquisition programs, but also other” after “candidate proposals in support of”.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, § 860(2)(B), substituted “by each Office of Small Business Programs of each military department” for “by each military department”.

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 118–31, § 860(3), substituted “$6,000,000” for “$3,000,000”.

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, § 1842(b), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, § 1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), renumbered section 2359a of this title as this section.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 117–81, § 1701(d)(8), which directed the substitution of “section 4004” for “section 2302e”, could not be executed because of the intervening amendment by Pub. L. 116–283, § 1883(b)(2). See note below.

Pub. L. 116–283, § 1883(b)(2), substituted “section 4004” for “section 2302e”.

2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, § 878(a)(1), inserted “phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Program projects,” after “projects,”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–92, § 878(a)(2)(A), substituted “$6,000,000.” for “$3,000,000, unless the Secretary, or the Secretary’s designee, approves a larger amount of funding for the project.”

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 116–92, § 878(a)(2)(B), added par. (7).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–92, § 878(a)(3), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted “and to the limitation under paragraph (2)” after “for such purpose”, and added par. (2).

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2021 Amendment

Amendment by section 1701(d)(8) of Pub. L. 117–81 to take effect immediately after the amendments made by title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 have taken effect, see section 1701(a)(3) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by section 1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B) of Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below.

Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

### Regional Activities

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 213(b), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1589, provided that: “Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense may expand the efforts of the Defense Innovation Unit to engage and collaborate with private-sector industry and communities in various regions of the United States— to accelerate the adoption of commercially developed advanced technology in modernization priority areas and such other key technology areas as may be identified by the Secretary; and to expand outreach to communities that do not otherwise have a Defense Innovation Unit presence, including economically disadvantaged communities.”

### Pilot Program To Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VIII, § 834, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1835, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, § 845, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2720, which authorized the Secretary of Defense to establish a competitive, merit-based pilot program to accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies and required the Secretary to issue guidelines for the operation of such pilot program, was repealed by Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VIII, § 861(b), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2000. See section 3604 of this title.